Roger N. Lancaster provides the definitive rebuttal of evolutionary just-so stories about men, women, and the nature of desire in this spirited exposé of the heterosexual fables that pervade popular culture, from prime-time sitcoms to scientific theories about the so-called gay gene. Lancaster links the recent resurgence of biological explanations for gender norms, sexual desires, and human nature in general with the current pitched battles over sexual politics. Ideas about a "hardwired" and immutable human nature are circulating at a pivotal moment in human history, he argues, one in which dramatic changes in gender roles and an unprecedented normalization of lesbian and gay relationships are challenging received notions and commonly held convictions on every front. The Trouble with Nature takes on major media sources—the New York Times, Newsweek—and widely ballyhooed scientific studies and ideas to show how journalists, scientists, and others invoke the rhetoric of science to support political positions in the absence of any real evidence. Lancaster also provides a novel and dramatic analysis of the social, historical, and political backdrop for changing discourses on "nature," including an incisive critique of the failures of queer theory to understand the social conflicts of the moment. By showing how reductivist explanations for sexual orientation lean on essentialist ideas about gender, Lancaster invites us to think more deeply and creatively about human acts and social relations.
Rambo took the barrios by storm: Spanish videotapes of the movie were widely available, and nearly all the boys and young men had seen it, usually on the VCRs of their family's more affluent friends. . . . As one young Sandinista commented, 'Rambo is like the Nicaraguan soldier. He's a superman. And if the United States invades, we'll cut the marines down like Rambo did.' And then he mimicked Rambo's famous war howl and mimed his arc of machine gun fire. We both laughed."—from the book There is a Nicaragua that Americans have rarely seen or heard about, a nation of jarring political paradoxes and staggering social and cultural flux. In this Nicaragua, the culture of machismo still governs most relationships, insidious racism belies official declarations of ethnic harmony, sexual relationships between men differ starkly from American conceptions of homosexuality, and fascination with all things American is rampant. Roger Lancaster reveals the enduring character of Nicaraguan society as he records the experiences of three families and their community through times of war, hyperinflation, dire shortages, and political turmoil. Life is hard for the inhabitants of working class barrios like Doña Flora, who expects little from men and who has reared her four children with the help of a constant female companion; and life is hard for Miguel, undersized and vulnerable, stigmatized as a cochón—a "faggot"—until he learned to fight back against his brutalizers. Through candid discussions with young and old Nicaraguans, men and women, Lancaster constructs an account of the successes and failures of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution, documenting the effects of war and embargo on the cultural and economic fabric of Nicaraguan society. He tracks the break up of families, surveys informal networks that allow female-headed households to survive, explores the gradual transformation of the culture of machismo, and reveals a world where heroic efforts have been stymied and the best hopes deferred. This vast chronicle is sustained by a rich theoretical interpretation of the meanings of ideology, power, and the family in a revolutionary setting. Played out against a backdrop of political travail and social dislocation, this work is a story of survival and resistance but also of humor and happiness. Roger Lancaster shows us that life is hard, but then too, life goes on.
One evening, while watching the news, Roger N. Lancaster was startled by a report that a friend, a gay male school teacher, had been arrested for a sexually based crime. The resulting hysteria threatened to ruin the life of an innocent man. In this passionate and provocative book, Lancaster blends astute analysis, robust polemic, ethnography, and personal narrative to delve into the complicated relationship between sexuality and punishment in our society. Drawing on classical social science, critical legal studies, and queer theory, he tracks the rise of a modern suburban culture of fear and develops new insights into the punitive logic that has put down deep roots in everyday American life.
A Rare Jewel is about Jewel Sherman, a young female NJ private detective with a plan to pose as Fred Gearhard’s (a CA cop) fiancée to help him catch the family member who has murdered her grandfather in California. Her grandfather was a philanthropist who bought up blocks of dilapidated city slums. And under the supervision of Sgt. Fred Gearhard, during his off-duty times, the property was turned into nice homes for veterans. Jewel is positive the killer has to be a family member, and her ruse is so the family would speak freely around the sergeant in charge of the homicide investigation. Blackberry Bowl is about a young lady who refused to sell her island to a lowlife who wanted it for criminal activities. She is drugged and thrown from a plane into a crater lake. She survives the fall with amnesia and a broken leg. Rescuing herself several months later in the hospital; she regains her memory, and the rest is a good story.
Alexandra was a very tall lady who lived alone on a mountain above Lake Tahoe doing hand crafts for a living. She had been told many times that she was much too tall for loving and so kept away from society except once every 3 months to take her crafts to her friends who sold them. She saved the life of a man that had amnesia. They fell in love but Alexandra gave him Sandra, her Papa’s name for her, as Papa loved her. Not the one on her mailbox where he had been dumped. That way he wouldn’t be back after he left. She wanted no embarrassing repeat visits. John Weaver III was tired of society and was about to build his home, the Aerie, on a mountain above Lake Tahoe. As he was driving up to oversee the building of his log home, he stopped to help a pregnant woman changing a flat tire. It was a setup and he was knocked out, robbed and dumped in front of Alex’s home unconscious in the winter. She and her dogs took him into her home where she saved his life and they fell in love while he was regaining his memory. They were quite close during those four days but Alexandra had those many young years of being told she was only friendship material to make her question his love. So when his memory began returning, she took him to the hospital and disappeared. John then had to find his love, and once he found Sandra, and finally gained peace knowing she loved him and trusted his love, makes for interesting reading.
Communicating Globally: Intercultural Communication and International Business uniquely integrates the theory and skills of intercultural communication with the practices of multinational organizations and international business. Authors Wallace V. Schmidt, Roger N. Conaway, Susan S. Easton, and William J. Wardrope provide students with a cultural general awareness of diverse world views, valuable insights on understanding and overcoming cultural differences, and a clear path to international business success. Key Features Offers an interdisciplinary view: The authors draw on a variety of sources, including important intercultural and organizational theories in the intercultural communication and international business disciplines. Provides an innovative perspective: This book presents cutting-edge viewpoints on cosmopolitan communication, global leadership, cultural synergy, and the dynamic processes affecting international business. Presents an integrated, action-oriented framework: The integrated framework for understanding intercultural communication and international business focuses on essential principles and practices necessary for developing a cosmopolitan orientation. Introduces different ways of conducting business around the world: The text provides insights into "doing" business abroad by examining significant geographic regions and emphasizing cultural themes and patterns, business conduct and characteristics, and emerging trends. Includes a regional resource guide: The authors encourage readers to continue their own cross-cultural or international business research, personally transforming their understanding into individually instructive significance. Intended Audience This is an excellent text for advanced courses in intercultural communication, business communication, international business, and organizational communication as found in departments of communication and business.
Roger examines how developments in new media technologies, such as the internet, blogs, camera/video phones, have fundamentally altered the way in which governments, militaries, terrorists, NGOs, and citizens engage with images. He argues that there has been a paradigm shift from techno-war to image warfare, which emerged on 9/11.
A young Alaskan bush author inherits a large home and property in California and decides to go see it and enjoy the sunshine as it is negative thirty seven degrees right then. She finds there was a feud between her uncle and the neighbor; a contractor who wants the property. She hires him to clear out the old dilapidated house and junk pile her uncle left her and build her a new one with a lake as she is stuck in her research for her latest mystery story; needing more details on making an artificial lake. Therefore getting a small lake in front of her new vacation home. During that process she finds acceptance with his entire family and the townspeople.
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